Estival
by kiddstar
Summary: es·ti·val /ˈestəvəl,eˈstī-/ adjective - belonging to or appearing in summer. / / Without Shibusen, without Spartoi, without the necessity of partnerships, how do the teens fare? / / A collection of AU writings based around Spartoi and their professors. Prompts taken from the writing prompt generator section of the website seventhsanctum. Updated whenever I'm feeling it.
1. he was eternally a social boy

_He was eternally a social boy_ , and Kid hated him for it.

The first time Death the Kid and Black Star met had been before either could talk, much less walk; growing up sharing babysitters and cribs and playpens and diapers, you'd think they would have grown close, but the opposite couldn't have been more true. The two were polar opposites and clashed at almost every possible interval.

Blue hair, green eyes, ever-present grin, even more present friends. Below average grades, more often than not in detention, and yet he charmed teachers and students alike with nothing more than a ridiculous remark about surpassing the gods.

Growing up so closely entwined had introduced them to the same people, but that didn't make them all friends; Kid preferred the company of select few, but Black Star let anyone and everyone near him to experience his "greatness". Kid found himself with only two close companions; sisters, devils, angels, depending on who you asked. Even they were friends with Black Star by association with a girl close to him who was Liz's age. It seemed that no matter who he met, they all thought well of Black Star. It was _infuriating._

 _He was eternally a social boy_ , and Kid envied him for it.


	2. infamy was a girl with a hat

_Infamy was a girl with a hat, which surprised exactly one person_.

Infamy was Liz Thompson, one half of the Brooklyn Devils (or Brooklyn Angels, depending who you asked), and Tsubaki Nakatsukasa never would have guessed that her crush of several years lived off the money she took from gangs and people looking to harm the sex workers in the streets of her city.

"Come on, Tsubaki, didn't you think it was weird how much crime went down in Death City when we moved here?" Patty grinned, something dangerous flashing in the young girl's eyes.

"We're going to become Death Scythes," Liz said from behind Tsubaki, where she was braiding the latter's hair leisurely. "And then we can start taking down the root of the problems." She tugged Tsubaki's hair a little too hard and murmured an apology, despite Tsubaki not voicing discomfort. "Witches, evil... _Madness_. Can't you feel it?" She put her head down next to Tsubaki's and turned their heads to look out of the window into the heart of the city, where the God of Death himself lived. "The source of all the madness in the world is there."

"Shinigami-sama?" Wasn't Liz friends with his son?

"No. His son."

"Kid?" Tsubaki said in alarm, clutching her hand to her chest. Patty burst into a fit of giggles, and even Liz chuckled, tying off Tsubaki's braid and putting it over her shoulder.

"No. His name is Asura."


	3. she saw a lazy boy in a suit

Maka Albarn was arguably the strongest weapon she knew, but it wasn't something she could bring herself to be proud of. She didn't like being a weapon; she didn't like acknowledging her father, any part of him. However, in the lawless land of Death City, she had no choice if she wanted to survive. Her mother had split town as soon as she'd gotten sick of Maka's father's philandering, not bothering to take Maka with her; Maka, a tiny trans girl at the tender age of ten, had been unable to bring herself to be upset. Instead, she'd stolen away in the night, her bag packed with necessities, and never looked back.

A few years later, she heard through her connections that her mother was back in town. She was sure to stay away from her mother, and the days passed without incident. Maka had no permanent home, the only thing tying her to the city the mailbox she had in her name. She wasn't legally emancipated, but fake IDs worked wonders. She had a considerable amount of savings from work, which she used sparingly, only getting what she needed. Work clothes, three shirts, a pair of pants, two pairs of shorts, plenty of undergarments. Basic toiletries, a small membership fee to a local gym, where she trained and showered.

Maka had been living on her own for five years, and she knew how to do it by now.

The rest of her savings came from jobs she did under the table- for various people around the city, sometimes even Lord Death himself. She could afford to pick and choose which jobs she took, so she did; it had been long enough that people knew what they could ask of her and what would get them run through by one of her scythe arms.

Maka worked full time at a Deathbucks in the heart of the city that always seems to be busy, full of fancy business people who had no idea what happened at night when the city wouldn't sleep and street ruffians who didn't allow the city to sleep alike. She turned 15 on the third day of the week in one of the hot summer months, but she barely noted the date on account of how busy work was. _She saw a lazy boy in a suit that Tuesday_ , and her life was changed immediately. From the moment he stepped in the room, all eyes were on him, all chatter stopped, and the only sound in the room was the click of the heels of his shoes as he walked toward the counter.

"Is that Soul Evans?" Maka heard someone murmur; the name was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on why. He got at the end of the line up to the counter, several people with eyes still on him.

"Ma'am? Can you finish your order, please? We have other customers waiting." Maka kept her smile plastered to her face, only mildly interested in the new customer. The woman in front of her apologized profusely, and after that, the chatter in the room slowly picked up again. The line went quicker than usual, people still looking at the white haired boy every now and then. When he finally got up to the counter, he was the only one in line, and he finally took his hands from his pockets.

"What would you like?" His eyes roamed over the menu, seeming disinterested.

"Dunno, what do you recommend? The most expensive thing, I'm sure?" He flashed his teeth; they were sharp, but Maka remained unnerved.

"Water. Drinking coffee in heat like this will dehydrate you." He seemed to scrutinize her, then nodded, taking a wallet from his pocket.

"Two waters, then." She pointed to the cooler next to the counter, and he took them from there, putting them on the counter. He paid for them and then took a seat in an empty arm chair, slipping headphones into his ears and closing his eyes. Maka took no note of him after that; not until it was closing time, anyway, and she noticed he was still there. She'd made the call several minutes ago for everyone to leave, and everyone had, except for him. She approached him and noticed he was still wearing headphones; sighing, she tapped his shoulder, waiting to speak until he looked up at her.

"Excuse me, sir. I have to close up, I need you to leave." He slowly took his headphones out of his ears, taking his time to meticulously wrap the cord around his music player before finally looking up at her again.

"You're Maka Albarn, right?" She immediately slipped into a defensive stance; this wouldn't be the first time someone had come to assassinate her, or worse, find her for her father. The name she went by at work was Mackenzie "Mack" Albon; not her name, but close enough for her to remember it was hers when people called for her. "Hey, woah, chill! Chill. So uncool." She narrowed her eyes distrustfully, and he held his hands up in surrender. They were slender, looking very soft, like he hadn't done a day's worth of work in his life. New music came on; a piano track she often listened to during closing, because she found it soothing. By someone named Evan? No- _Evans_. Soul Evans, hadn't someone called him that earlier?

"Word on the street is that you're in the market for a weapon partner." She shifted her weight a bit, just to keep herself moving, debating whether starting a fight in her work place after hours would get her fired or not.

"What's it to you?" One moment he had an arm and the next it was a scythe, but one that (for once) wasn't raised in defense or attack. It had been years since she'd seen a scythe other than her own outside of battle.

"It just so happens that i'm looking for a meister." Even the way he talked sounded posh and soft, as if he'd been raised fed by a silver spoon. Gold was more like it, if she was correctly remembering what Kim had mentioned Soul Evans' net worth was once- not his family's, but his.

"What could someone like you possibly gain from partnering with me?" That was what she wanted to say, but she didn't want him to mistake her words. She didn't doubt herself, but him. Instead, she spoke differently. "I've never been able to successfully resonate with someone, you know. They expect me to do all the work."

"I've never resonated with anyone in my life," he said, confirming Maka's suspicions. His scythe was now an arm again, and he held his hand toward Maka. "I'm Soul. Will you resonate with me?" It took her a moment, but she straightened from her stance, holding her hand out to him as well. Even if he wasn't what he seemed, she had no doubt she could take him in a fight if this was all an elaborate trick.

"I'm Maka. The question is whether you can resonate with me." It took a special weapon to resonate directly with another weapon, no matter how much of a meister one weapon may be. He took her hand, and the next thing she knew, he was a scythe in her hand, a pleasant weight that was perfect for her fighting style. The moment their resonance began, it was like gears clicking into place. Not one gear, but several; he was not her missing piece, she was not his. So many who had tried to resonate with her had failed to realize this, and in turn failed her.

"I'm never going to live up to my brother," his soul cried, and Maka's responded in turn.

"I'm never going to live up to my mother," hers whispered back. The exchange was unknown to both of them.

The next day, Soul Evans was officially declared missing, putting the country in a panic, and Mackenzie Albon and Soul Eater signed a lease for their new apartment.


	4. it was the year of cruelty

** A/N: tw for mentions of familial & child abuse and violence

* * *

Long before Black Star could remember, Star Clan had been disbanded (more than disbanded, if the stories he'd heard from the other kids were true; rumor was they'd been slaughtered by a group of hired mercenaries straight from Lord Death's inner circle) and Black Star had been taken in as an infant by Lord Death. Or rather, not _by_ Lord Death, but because of him. Sid Barrett had been the one to actually raise Black Star (if you could call it that), though he and Kid had more often than not found themselves under the care of Marie Mjolnir, another of Lord Death's inner circle.

The "inner circle", as it were, was comprised of Sid Barrett, Mira Naigus, Marie Mjolnir, Franken Stein, and Spirit Albarn. Once upon a time, Black Star had heard that Spirit's wife had been part of it as well, but when she'd left Death City without warning she'd forfeited her position. Black Star knew there were other people in the "circle", but they were never in Death City, so he could never bring himself to care.

When Black Star was eight years old, someone with white hair and stars in their eyes slipped in through his window.

" _Daughter_." Their voice was quiet, and Black Star had to strain to hear them from where he sat wide eyed in his bed, staring at the star tattoo on the person's shoulder that matched his own.

"I'm no one's daughter!" He said indignantly, crossing his arms over his still flat chest. The figure held a finger up to what Black Star assumed was their lips, but their features were now lost in darkness so he couldn't be sure.

" _Son, then._ " Black Star eyed them warily.

"White Star?" His voice was barely more than a whisper; the figure nodded. His _father_. "You're dead!"

" _They think what I want them to. Do you really think someone as meaningless as Lord Death could wipe out the likes of the Star Clan? We have been biding our time, Silver Star, and we need_ you _now._ "

"Silver Star?" Black Star asked, eyes still wide, voice breathy. "I'm Black Star!"

" _Black Star is their name for you. Silver Star is ours. Will you help me, Silver Star? Will you help your clan?_ "

Black Star had been an infant when his clan had been supposedly killed. Black Star did not know why. Black Star, being only eight years old, was kept in the dark- and like any eight year old, he hated this.

"Yes!" Black Star spoke quietly, his excitement barely suppressed- an adult needed his help! Of course they did, he was the biggest guy around! But it was nice to be acknowledged as such. "I will help you, Father."

" _White Star._ "

"White Star," Black Star repeated, voice awed. He could even call this adult by his name?! White Star left soon after, swearing the young boy to secrecy and promising to visit again soon. "Soon", however, didn't mean until a year later, when Black Star was nine; that was the year he was permitted to meet the rest of the clan, and they began training him in secret in their style of fighting, giving him just enough information on their plans that he didn't feel left out- but certainly not enough that anyone would chalk any blabbing up to anything but the delusional ramblings of a child. Black Star felt he was finally given the respect he deserved. Unfortunately, as Black Star grew, this gradually changed.

 _It was the year of hope, the year of cruelty, the year he forgot the meaning of fear._

In his 14th year, he finally beat Kid in a fight; that night, furious that Black Star had used clan moves that would put him under suspicion, White Star beat him severely. He returned to Sid's house and patched himself up; everyone assumed his wounds were from his fight with Kid, and no one asked.

Several months later, Black Star came across a man beating a girl just a couple years older than himself in an alley. He felt his vision tunnel and by the time he came back to himself the girl was thanking him, the man unconscious across from them. He shouldn't have done that. He was a Star; Stars didn't save people.

"I'm Tsubaki," she said, giving him a gentle smile despite her bruised eye, puffy lip and split brow. She pulled medical tape and gauze pads somewhere from the folds of her outfit, reaching for Black Star's hands and beginning to gently wrap his bloody knuckles. "Um- I'm sorry... I don't have anything to clean them with, but you can do that when you return home, right?"

"Why're ya worried about me?!" He demanded, shaking his hand from her grip. Years with his clan had affected his speech patterns somewhat. "Maybe ya haven't seen yourself, lady, but you should be in a hospital about now ya know!" She lifted a hand to her face, a surprised look on her face, and inspected her own wounds before smiling with- was that _relief_?

"Oh, no, I'll be fine! If I treat these when I get home, they'll clear up soon. Thank you for your concern!" She stood, wobbling on her feet a bit before walking toward the unconscious man. Black star expected her to kick him or something, which is what _he_ would have done, but instead she grabbed him under the arms and began trying to get him over her back.

"What're you doin'?" Black Star demanded, standing up from his crouch.

"He gets angry when I don't take him home after something like this happens," she said apologetically, slowly heading toward the entrance to the alley.

"Take him home?"

"He's my brother," Tsubaki said by way of explanation.

"You let your own brother treat ya like that?! An' you just go _home_ with him after?!" Tsubaki gave a small sigh and a tense but patient smile.

"I don't-" she flinched as her brother twitched, "- have anywhere else to go."

He was going to regret this. "Yeah ya do, lady!" He was so going to regret this. "You're comin' with me! We got plenty of room, and no fuckin' assholes to beat up on ya!" He was already regretting this. Sid was going to kill him, but Black Star knew he wouldn't turn her away. She looked at him warily, doubt in her eyes and posture. He just offered his hand and a wide grin, and she put her brother down, tentatively placing her fingers in his.

Black Star pulled her toward the sun, and neither of them looked back.


End file.
